Fuel drain valve



Jan. 30, 1945. T, DQWNEY 2,368,120

FUEL DRAIN VALVE Filed Feb. 24,1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GZLDO zrneyPatented Jan. 30, 1945 FUEL DRAIN VALVE George T. Downey,

Supply Mfg.

Corry, Pa., assignor to Aero Co. Inc., Corry, Pa.

Application February 24, 1944, Serial No. 523,704

3 Claims. (Cl. 251-43) This invention relates to drain valves designedto drain fluids.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved drain valve whichwill permit draining of fluid from one side of the valve withoutcreation of any air pockets in the other side of the valve. In practicethis drain valve has been designed to be interposed in a fuel supplyline between an internal combustion engine and a supply tank so that thetank can'be drained at will and any fuel in the line between the valveand venting creation of air pockets when the drain side of the valve hasbeen closed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drain valve which isformed of a housing having an inlet port and two outlet ports, aselected one of the outlet ports being closed by meansof a pivoted orswinging valve plug. i

This invention further aims to provide a drain valve embodying aswinging valve plug of spherical configuration, and means whereby thevalve plug may be firmly held in a, selected port closing position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drain valve whichembodies the use of a rub her or yieldable plug so that the plug neednot be ground to the valve seat and will inherently conform to the valveeat.

With the foregoing objects in view, and others which may hereinaftermore fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specificallydescribed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein areshown em;- bodiments of the invention, but it is to be understood thatchanges, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fallwithin the scope of the invention, as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a detail side elevation of a drain valve constructedaccording to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan of the device.

Figure 3 is a detail end elevation of the device.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-4 of Figure 3.

Figure is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings the numeral Ill designates generally a housingwhich is polygonal in transverse section, and is provided with aplurality of mounting lugs ll, I2 and I3 whereby the housing may befirmly mounted on a suitable support. The housing In is provided with aninthe engine will be retained therein, thereby preto the opposite end oftake port 14 at one end thereof an outlet port 1 5, at the opposite endthereof, and with a second outlet port 16 between the ports l4 and I5atright angles to the port l5. The housing 10 is open at each end thereofand the intake end is closed by means of a plate l1 secured by fasteningmembers l8.-

A nipple I9 is carried by vides a means whereby a hose or connection maybe secured to the plate admitting fluid into the interior of the housingIn.

A plate 20 is secured by fastening members 2| the housing l0, and hasformed integral therewith a coupling nipple 22 whereby a hose or tubularduct may be connected to the outlet end of the housing It). A plate 23is secured by fastening members 24 to the lower side of the housing 10and has formed integral the plate 18 and proother tubular IQ fortherewith an outlet or drain nipple 25 by means of which a drain hose ortubular member may be connected with the housing Ill.

The nipple 22, as shown in Figure 4, is provided with a tubularextension 26 extending into the housing In, and formed at its inner endwith a valve seat 21. The inner end of the nipple 25 is also formed witha valve seat 28.

A spherical valve plug 29 is positioned within the housing 10, beingswingable from the full line position hown in Figure 4, to the dottedline position shown in the same figure, so that the plug 29 may bepositioned for selectively closing either outlet port l5, or outlet portl6.

' The plug 29 is of inherently yieldable construction being preferablyformed of rubber or rubber composition, and is mounted on an arm 30which extends loosely into a or plug 29. A bolt 32 is extended throughan opening 33 formed in the plug 29 at right angles to the slot 3|, andengages through the arm 30 so as to secure the plug 29 on the arm 30.The

arm 30 is provided with a, right angular intermediate portion 34, asshown in Figure 5, and also includes a hub or hearing portion 35 havinga square or polygonal opening 36. A plug operating shaft 31 isjournalled through the forward wall 38 of the housing l0, and is formedwith a reduced inner end portion 39 which is journalled in a bearing 49formed in the opposite side wall 4| of the housing It). A splitlockingring 42 is removably mounted in an annular groove 43 formed in the shaft31, and is adapted to bear against the bearing boss 44 which is formedin the wall 38.

The shaft 31, at the junction between the reduced portion 39 and thelarger portion of the slot 3| formed in the ball bearing 40. A secondspring 49 is disposed about the shaft 31 within the housing In and bearsat. one end against the hub 35 and at the other end against a cup-shapedwasher'50; A compressible gasket is interposed between the washer 5|]-and the inner side of the housing In so that.

pressure of the spring 49 will coact not only with the spring 48 inholding the shaft 3'! against endwise. movement, but the. sprin 49 willalso compress:the gasket 50 so as toseal-the shaft 31 with respectitothe housing I0; v

The shaft 3Thas secured thereto a right angularly disposed bolt 52 and alocking eye-bolt 53 has the eye 54 thereof'engaged'about the bolt 52. Asleeve 55 is interposed between the eye 54 and the shaft 3'! so that.thebolt 52 will be held against endwise movement. The eye-bolt 53ineludes a threaded shank '56 having a wing nut STthreaded. thereon. Theshank 56, in one position of the plug 29, is'adapted'to' engage aslotted" arm.58' which includes a right angularly disposed extension 59formed integral with a holding bar 60. The bar 60 is secured to theouterside of the plate I! by the fastening members l8;

The. arm 58, as shown in Figures'l and 2, extends inwardly from theadjacent ends of the housing I 0; and holds the bolt 52 at substantially'rightangles to the length of the housing H]. In-

the full line position of the bolt 52, shown in Figure 1, the .plug 29is engaged with the valve seat-21. 'I'he'plug 29 may be swung downwardlyto'engage the seat 28 by loosening the wing nut 51 andengaging' this nutwith a slotted arm 6| which is'carried' by a bar 62;

members 24-.

In' the full line position of the plug 29, shown in Figure 4, theplug-is in the draining positionso that the fluid will drain fromthehousing In through the drain port I6. In the operative position of theplug 29, where the intake port I4 is to be' in communication with theoutlet port l5, and in which position the plug 29 will be in its normalposition the plug 29 will be swung downwardly to the dottedline-position shown in Figure 4' g to engage the valve seat 29. In thislatter normal The bar 62 is se-' cured to the plate 23 by apair'offastening position the eye-bolt 53 will be engaged with the slotted arm6|.

With a construction as hereinbefore described, when it is desired todrain the fuel from a tank or to drain other liquids from a supplysource the valve plug 29 is shifted from the valve seat 28 and engagedwith the valve seat 21. Any liquid in the outlet nipple 22 and the pipeor hose connection coupled to the nipple 22 will be retained in thenipple and the duct so that no airpockets will be formed in the fuelline between the housme Ill and the engine or other element with whichthe drain valve is connected.

Byusing a resilient ball shaped valve plug the plug will inherently seaton the selected valve seatso-that' it is not necessary to grind the plugto the valve seatand the selected port will be tightly closed when theplug 29 is swung to such selected port.

In practice, the drain valve hereinbefore disclosed isdesigned forpositioning in the fuel supply line between the tank and the engine sothat the tank may be drained without draining the fuel between the valveand the engine.

I'claim:

1. A drain valve comprising a housing having aninlet ports, and a pairof outlet ports, a valve seat at the inner end of each outlet port, ashaft rotatably carried by said housing, a right angularly disposed armon said shaft within said hous-- ing, a ball-shaped plug carried by saidarm andengageable with a selected outlet port,- a rightangularlydisposed member fixed'to said shaft exteriorly of said housing, aneye-bolt loosely carried by said member, and a pair of slotted armsfixed to said housing at right angles to each} other, and engageable bysaid eye-bolt for locking said plug in selected seat engaging position.

2. A drain valve asset forth in claim 1, includ-- ing a pair of springsabout said shaft in said housing on opposite sides of said first arm forholding said plug centrally of said housing.

3. A drain valve comprising a housing havingv an inlet port and a pairof outlet ports, a valve seat at the inner end of each outlet port, ashaft rotatably carried by said housing, a right angularly disposed armon said shaft within said housing, a valve plug carried by said arm andengageable with a selected outlet port, a right angularly' disposedmember fixed to said shaft exteriorly of said housing, an eye-boltloosely carried by said" member, and a pair of slotted arms fixed tosaid" housing at right angles to each other, and en-- gageable by saideye-bolt for locking said plug in i selected seat engaging position.

GEORGE T. DOWNEY."

